The AFC qualifiers for the 2014 Men’s World Cup will proceed largely the same as for the previous tournament. 38 teams compete in the preliminary rounds, of which 16 are unseeded and must play a semifinal series first. The 15 winners of the final serieses then proceed to the first group phase with five teams that received byes. These teams compete in five groups of four; the top two advance to the second group phase and form two groups of five. The top two in each group qualify, and the third placed teams face one another in the playoffs. The winner then meets an opponent from another confederation.
¤ Teams to qualify: 4½
• Preliminary round entrants: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China PR, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
» Bye to first group phase: Australia, Bahrain, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Rep